Six months later they can all read and write

A TOTAL of 277 people can now read and write after completing a six-month adult literacy course in Port Moresby.
The Adult Literacy Training Programme is an initiative of the Women’s Ministry Department of Central Papua Conference (CPC) of the Seventh-day Adventist Church (SDA).
A graduation was held yesterday at Koki SDA church in which the students were presented level 1 literacy certificates.
The level 1 course, the learners took four subjects which were Home Language, Numeracy, Social Inclusion and Religious Studies.
Before the course started in April, volunteers were selected from each SDA church in CPC and were trained for two weeks by the Women’s Ministry literacy coordinators with technical support from the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) to become literacy teachers.
The then volunteers went to their local churches and conducted literacy classes. The volunteer teachers were also awarded certificates yesterday.
CPC Women’s Ministry director Joy Koi said she was surprised that not only elderly women undergo the literacy training but young men and women too.
The course were not only conducted in NCD churches but also in other rural churches in Central Province.
Level 2 courses will be held next year in which the learners will be taught to read English.